Switch and signal apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. T. HAMBAY. SWITCH AND SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Patented July 2, 1889.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. T. HAMBAY. SWITCH AND SIGNAL APPARATUS.

No. 406,213. Patented July 2, 1889.

WITNESSES: 2 W

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. HAMBAY, OF \VILKINSBURG, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWVITOI-I ANDSIGNAL COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH AND SIG NAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,213, dated July 2,1889.

Application filed February 21, 1889, Serial N0. 300,707. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. IIAMBAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at VVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in Switch and Signal Apparatus, of which improvements thefollowing is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in switchand signal operating apparatus, and has for its object the applicationof a preliminary lock to that class of switch and signal apparatus knownas the horizontal-lever machines.

In general terms, the invention consists in the construction andcombination of mechanical devices, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a view of a machine in side elevation embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a viewpartly in section and partly in end elevation of the machine, and Fig. 4is'a sectional elevation showing the relative arrangement of themachines and their interlocking mechanism where two or more suchmachines are included in a plant or apparatus.

Upon a shaft 1, supported in suitable bearings in the frame 2, areloosely mounted the wheels 3, which are connected to the switches orsignals bya chain or otherfiexible connection 4, secured in a grooveformed in the faces of the wheels or by a rack-bar engaging teeth formedon the perimeter of said wheels. These wheels are rotated by the levers5, loosely mounted on the shaft 1 outside of the wheels and attached tosaid wheels by suitable bolts or otherwise. Theselevers are providedwith spring latches or catches 6, controlled by the levers 7, arrangedin convenient proximity to the handles of the levers 5, the blocks 8 ofsaid latches being arranged to engage notches 9 in the edges of theframe 2, as shown in Fig. 1. To the blocks 8 are attached rods 10,arranged alongside of the le vers 5 and made of sufficient length toproject beyond the axis of the shaft 1 when the blocks are in engagementwith the notches 9 an amount equal to the length of stroke of thelatches. The inner or free endsof the rods 10 are connected to arms ofbell-crank levers 11, preferably pivoted in the vertical plane passingthrough the axis of the shaft 1. The other arms of the bell-crank levers11. are connected to bars 12, mounted in guides on the bracket 13,attached to the under side of the frame 2. A locking-pin 14 is mountedtransversely of the bars 12 in guide-grooves in the bracket, said pinbeing of a length a little greater than the distance between the bars12, which have V-shaped notches 15, formed at suitable points in theirinner edges for the reception of the correspondinglyshapedends of thepin 14.

In operating my improved machine, the block 8 of one of the levers 5as,for example, the right-hand lever in Fig. 3'is withdrawn from its notch9, thereby pulling the end of the upper arm of the bell-crank 11 intoline with the axis of the shaft 1, and the lever 5 is raised until theblock 8 engages the notch 9, which is not sufficiently deep to permit ofsuch movement of the block 8 as will throw the upper end of thebell-crank lever 11 out of line with the axis of the shaft 1. Thismovement of the bell-crank lever 11 so shifts its bar 12 as to bring thenotch 15 in line with the pin 14, which previous to the movement of thelever 5 was in engagement with the notch 15 of the bar 12, therebylooking said bar. The lever 5 is now shifted, the block 8 being firstdisengaged from its notch 9, thereby shifting the bell-crank lever 11and the bar 12 entirely over until the block engages the notch 9 on theopposite side of the frame. The movement of the bar 12 incident to thedisengagement of the block 8 from its notch shifts the pin 14 intoengagement with the notch 15 of the bar 12, thereby locking said bar andits lever from any movement until the block 8 enters one of the notches9, whereupon the bar 12 will be again shifted by the movement of theupper end of the bell-crank lever 11 out of line with the axis of theshaft 1, thereby bringing its notch 15 again into line with the pin 14.The movement of the lever 5 is now completed, and its block 8 enters thenotch 9, thereby shifting the bell-crank lever 11 and bar 12. Themovement of the bar 12 shifts the pin 14 into engagement with bar 12 andlocks said bar and its operating-lever.

In practice two or more of the machines consisting of two levers andtheir interlocking devices are arranged alongside of each other, asshown in Fig. -l, a suflicient space being left between adjacentmachines for the passage of the operator from one side to theother forthe purpose of operating the levers. As shown, each machine has only twolevers, and by spacing the machines as stated the operator is affordedroom for the movements necessary in operating the levers. The bars 12 ofeach machine are interlocked with the bars of the other machines byaseries of pins 14, the combinations formed being dependent upon thenumber of switches and signals in operation and the order and relationof their movements to each other.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In a horizontal-lever machine foroperating switches and signals, the combination of an operating-lever, amovable block for locking the lever, a bell-crank lever having one ofits ends connected to said block and movable thereby into and out ofline with the center of movement of the lever, and an interlockingmechanism operated by the bellcrank, substantially as set forth.

2. In a switch and signal apparatus, a series of two or morehorizontal-lever machines separated to form a passage-way betweenadjacent machines, each machine having two levers interlocked with eachother, in combination with interlocking mechanism for interlocking thelevers of one machine with those of another machine, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES 'l. HAMBAY.

Vitnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLooTr, W. B. CoRWIN.

